Taking 'Paradise'
by someone-lost
Summary: Sarah would do anything to complete her precious collection. Even take on every slaver in Paradise Falls. One-Shot.


**Disclaimer: I do not own ****FallOut**** 3**

Sarah frowned as she twirled on her father's office chair feeling incredibly bored. She stopped as soon as the door to the infirmary opened and revealed Jonas, her father's assistant. The tall, dark skinned man never lifted his gaze from the clipboard in his hands and Sarah could swear the man was muttering to himself. Her father stepped in just a few seconds after, keying information into the data pad he was holding, but stopped to smile kindly at his daughter through the glass.

The raven haired little girl waved in return but stayed seated as her father said something to Jonas before entering his office.

"Hello, sweetie, how are you today?"

"Fine," Sarah replied. Her father raised an eyebrow and folded his arms.

"You don't seem fine. Want to tell me what's wrong?"

"I'm bored," she answered and then flushed with embarrassment. She hated sounding like a whiny little kid and tried to act as grown up as possible. _I'm almost eight after all… _Her father looked amused, though, and tapped a finger to his chin.

"Well, why don't you go play with Amata?" He suggested and almost laughed out loud at his daughter's sour look. Sarah hated the Overseer's whiny daughter almost as much as she hated the wannabe bad boy Butch DeLoria. "Okay, then, let me think… Alright, how about staying here for the day? Jonas and I aren't too busy today so it shouldn't be a problem." Sarah reluctantly agreed rationalizing that it would probably be just a bit more interesting to spend the day in her father's office than her bedroom. _And it certainly beats hanging out with that arm clinger Amata. _

So Sarah spent the rest of the day doing absolutely nothing. She listened to Jonas and her father talk about medical theories and interesting cases that they've had over the years. Both men tried to keep her as entertained as possible, but by noon they had an emergency patient to tend to.

"Can I come?"

"I'm sorry, honey, but its too dangerous for you. I don't know how someone could be so careless," he muttered as he hurriedly packed a medical case.

"Radroaches are tricky things," Jonas mused. "They're more of a threat when they travel in groups. Officer Gomez is lucky he got away so easily."

"How did Radroaches get inside of the Vault? I thought they only existed on the outside." Jonas looked uncomfortable at the question and exchanged a look with Sarah's father that piqued the little girl's interest. Instead of answering it, however, her father merely ignored it.

"I'll activate the robot, Professor and set its defenses." Jonas said and stepped out of the room.

"We shouldn't be too long, honey. From what I understand Officer Gomez's injuries aren't too serious. Would you like me to get someone to stay with you?" Thoughts of an annoying little brunette wandered through her head and prompted her to emphatically shake her head.

"Thought not," her father smiled. "I know! Play with this until we get back, okay?" He reached into one of his desk's drawers and pulled out a small plastic figurine. He gently set it into the child's outstretched hands and smiled as his daughter stared at the object with fascination. "It's the medicine bobble head Jonas gave to me several years ago for my birthday." He explained. "Certainly brings back memories."

"Are you sure you want to be wandering down memory lane?" Jonas called from the other room. "You might end up getting lost."

"Never would tell me where he got it though," her father went on.

"What's life without a little mystery?" Jonas said as he wandered over to the metal work desk. He glanced down at the figure and flicked a finger at the large, blond head. Sarah watched with even more fascination as the head began to bobble back and forth. The young girl carefully set the toy down and continued push at the head. Both her father and Jonas watched with amused smiles as Sarah grasped the little man by the legs and proceeded to make it 'jump' across the desk.

"Be careful with it okay, sweetie?"

"See ya sport!" Jonas ruffled the young girl's long hair and followed after his mentor out of the room, grabbing the medical kit as he went.

~*~

Several Years Later…

~*~

A beautiful young woman lay sleeping on a squeaky metal bed and inch thin mattress. A beam of sunlight broke through the metal shades bolted onto the window and hit right on her closed eye lids. Her lips pulled down in a grimace as she made the unwelcome transition to consciousness and her surroundings came into focus. Sarah shifted onto her side and was just about to fall back asleep when Wadsworth, a giant metal machine, floated into her bedroom.

"Good afternoon! I wasn't aware that you had returned. It's good to see you, Madam!" The butler's words were slightly accented, programmed by his previous owner, and never failed to annoy her.

"I'm trying to sleep, Wadsworth. Shut up."

"I'm terribly sorry, Madam! I'll leave at once! Thank God…" It took the butler a good five minutes before he actually did, though, because at every turn he risked knocking into either a metal desk or filling cabinet that took up a majority of the space in the small room. The bed itself was a tight fit and took several room arrangements in order to make it fit when she had first acquired the house. _Sure, _the young woman thought, _every other fucking room is more than twice the necessary size, but the one room I spend the most time in has to be the size of a damned broom closet!_

Still, it comforted her somewhat that there was only one entrance and an impenetrable window; it minimized the number of possible threats. Should there be a fire, however, she'd have to practically break through the five inch thick metal walls or rip out the metal shades covering her window. _I suppose I could just throw Wadsworth through it, _she mused. _Damn thing probably weighs a ton…_

A loud crash resonated from downstairs which Wadsworth rapidly apologized for and Sarah to groan at. Her fingers itched for the shotgun strapped to the bed frame, but she resisted the sweet temptation of blasting the robot until it was just a smoking pile of scrape metal and bolts. Instead she lifted herself up and swung her legs over the side so her toes hit the cold floor.

"Sonovabitch," she grumbled and changed from her modest sleepwear quickly. Sarah had learned early on that there were pros and cons to dressing heavily in the Wasteland. The pros were that it offered extra protection from both enemy attacks and the sun, but it was difficult to carry many items without the proper training. So, she settled for a well-rounded medium.

She trusted a pair of sturdy boots, well worn pants, thin shirt, long sleeved coat, and duster hat to get her through the dangers she would undoubtedly run into. Sarah ran a brush through her waist long hair a few times and then tied it back, leaving a row of bangs to fall just above her eyes. The young woman then grabbed her Chinese Assault Rifle and slung it over her shoulder before exiting the room and descending the stairs.

She was surprised to see nothing broken when she reached the first floor and eyed Wadsworth with suspicion as the machine floated quietly near the refrigeration unit. After engaging in a staring contest with it, Sarah rolled her eyes and double checked the supplies she had stored in her Pip-Boy. She had enough purified water, ammo, and health to last her for most of the trip, but would most likely have to re-stock from one of the caravans along the way.

Sarah switched to another screen which showed all of the locations she had visited or knew of. There were quite a few dots scattered all over the Wasteland map, but she searched for one location in particular. After punching in a few coordinates she let her arm fall back to her side and left without a word of good-bye to Wadsworth. _Only reason I keep the damn thing around is for the water or else I'd break him down and sell the pieces to Moira_. With that cheery thought in mind she locked up her house and strode purposefully to the gates of Megaton.

~*~

"They're all like, 'blah blah blah, what's wrong with that girl?'".

"Look, Bittercup," Sarah practically snarled. "I have better things to do than talk fashion so leave me alone!" Bittercup hardly faltered in her monologue.

"That's what they always say. 'Blah blah, Bittercup you need to pay attention when you're on patrol.' Like, what, I'm supposed to stop slavers?" The brunette looked up at the girl with a smug smile. "Ever wonder what it'd be like to slit your wrist? I watched someone die once so, I'm an expert on death and so are many of my friends. Now that the Mutants took them..." Sarah wondered how much of a problem it would be if she just cut off Bittercup's head right then. _I'd probably be doing this whole place a favor._"Unless someone can figure out how to rescue them," Bittercup said and glanced hopefully at the Lone Wanderer.

"For the last time, I have no interest what so ever in the lives of this pathetic town. I suggest you leave, immediately, before I cut off your arms and beat you until your body is nothing but a mess of flesh and blood for the cannibals to snack on." Instead of looking repulsed Bittercup only inched closer with a look of admiration that hadn't been there before shining in her doe like eyes.

"The pain in your words is like a siren song tailored to my heart!" She gushed and reached out toward the other girl. Sarah anticipated the move and reacted accordingly; she snatched Bittercup's hand, whirled her around, and slammed her against the side of a building. Sarah glared at an approaching villager with loathing which sent him running back where he came from. Turning to the now groaning young woman, she leaned in close and whispered into her ear.

"If you _ever_ attempt to touch me again I'll kill you where you stand. I'm not looking for a best friend so keep your goddamned distance. Get it?" Bittercup gave a slight nod and, satisfied, Sarah released her wrist. "Go." With one last look back, Bittercup ran like the devil himself were on her heels. Smirking, the Lone Wanderer settled herself into a corner and tipped the corner of her hat so it shielded her eyes. That night she slept more peacefully than she had in weeks.

~*~

The next morning, though, proved to be just one giant headache in the form of Bittercup.  
"I was thinking about what you said last night," she said just as Sarah had been leaving Big Town.

As soon as dawn had hit Dusty, the town's entrance guard, had asked her to leave. Sarah was more amused than insulted because the guard had tried to put up a brave front, but it was almost painfully obvious that he was more than a little nervous. Probably because he recognized that she could slaughter the whole town without breaking a sweat and laugh while doing it.

"What was there to think about? I thought I had made everything pretty clear last night."

"You did," Bittercup hurriedly agreed. "So, I just wanted to tell you that I think you're right. A long distance relationship would probably be best." _What?! _Dusty, who had been standing nearby, choked on the water he was drinking. For the first time in her life Sarah was speechless.

"Is she retarded?" She asked a pale faced Dusty.

"If only it was that easy to explain," he'd muttered and turned back to guarding the bridge. Meanwhile, Bittercup was still prattling on about visiting every week and how even the Wastes couldn't keep them apart.

"I'm going to shoot you if you don't shut up in five seconds," Sarah warned her.

"So you agree? I'm so happy!"

"Five."

"Whenever you visit I'll give you something, kay?"

"Four."

"Just don't forget to think of me while you're off having fun, alright?"

"Three."

"I don't know what I'd do if you did…"

"Two."

"I just might kill myself!" Bitter cup laughed.

"One," Sarah reached for the assault rifle on her back with a gleam in her eyes.

"Bye!" Bittercup wisely wandered away to annoy some other unlucky person.

"That's the happiest I've seen her since the Mutants took Red and Shorty," Dusty remarked. The Lone Wanderer glared and made a mental note to avoid Big Town at all costs in the future.

~*~

Sarah stood a safe distance away from Paradise Falls with her arms crossed and dark eyes accessing every visible inch of the fortress-like settlement. It was her second day scoping out the place and she had to admit that she was a bit impressed at how smoothly everything ran. Every hour on the hour four raiders would leave the settlement, break into pairs of two, and patrol the outside wall in opposite directions with a small arsenal of weapons on each person.

After both pairs had completed their circuit they would then return and not go back out until the next hour. _Smooth, _Sarah thought, _but too predictable. Good news for me anyway. _She was confident that their schedule would remain the same even a week from then so she decided that she would storm the place with no back up and limited supplies that very day. _Makes things more interesting this way, _she thought and smirked.

Her plan, if it could be called that, was to take them by surprise before the next perimeter check. She would snipe off as many as she could from her position and then take care of the rest by any means necessary. The last caravan owner, Wolfgang, had a medley of creative items to choose from, but were pretty much useless. His mercenary, however, was more than willing to trade his sniper rifle for a couple hundred caps; which was more than a fair trade considering the fact that the next caravan probably wouldn't have wandered by for several more days. A wicked grin spread across her face as she imagined the look of pure chaos that would happen in just a few short minutes.

When she had first seen Paradise Falls she already knew a bit of information about the place. Hell, how could she not? Most people considered their work to be horrendous, above and beyond the realm of evil, but Sarah regarded them with some respect. Those who worked under Eulogy Jones were brave and crazy enough to do what it took to survive in the Wasteland where as others were too weak to do much more than get by day to day.

She absolutely hated those sniveling pigs who yielded to others when, in truth, they were just as powerful. _Slaves, _Sarah scoffed. _If their too weak to defend themselves then they deserve every bit of their treatment. _Once upon a time she had considered dabbling in the slave trading business, but decided against it as it was too time consuming for her handle. The young woman had different ideas as to how she would spend her time and escorting weaklings across the Wastes wasn't high on the list.

_Maybe later when I've finally reached my goal… After today, I'll just be another step closer. _

~*~

Bullets flew over her head as she ducked behind a twisted piece of metal and slammed another round into her Chinese assault rifle. A bead of blood and sweat ran down the side of her face from an open gash just below her cheek bone and her legs were screaming with pain from the constant running. The Lone Wanderer peered around the corner and leapt into action as she saw a couple of open shots. _Morons! _Side stepping the entire time, she took out three more slavers before taking cover behind an abandoned vehicle. One of the slavers shouted something at her, but she ignored him as she unlatched a grenade from her belt and chucked it over towards his voice.

The explosion shook the ground and gave Sarah the distraction she needed to hot foot it over to a large metal door. By the time the smoke cleared she was already halfway through the next section and rapidly taking ground. A flash of white hot pain erupted from her side, causing her to gasp and hit the ground hard. She rolled to a stop and hefted herself back onto her feet.

"Sonovabitch!" she cursed and scanned the area quickly for the bastard shot her. A raider wearing animal skins as clothing stood with a hunting rifle in her hands and maniacal look in her eyes.

"Hit the bitch!" she crowed happily and prepared for another shot. "Get ready to die," the raider sang and aimed for Sarah's head.

"Not without taking you with me," she muttered and readied her own weapon. A bright light exploded and Sarah wondered for a moment if she was actually dead until the familiar ringing only a flash grenade could create registered.

"I'm blind!" she heard the female raider cry. "What did you do to me?!" Sarah didn't bother explaining anything because she was just as clueless. Instead she hit the dirt and rolled until she hit something solid. She absolutely loathed flash grenades because they made her feel helpless and stupid; things Sarah knew she wasn't. Several tense seconds passed as her temporary handicap began to fade and her anger grew. _Think they can just blind me and get away with it do they? I'll teach those fuckers a thing or two about pissing me off. _As soon as her vision cleared Sarah leapt to her feet and knocked the approaching slaver with the butt of her gun. He went down cold, the machete he had been gripping falling from his hands and landing in the dirt beside him.

Just as she turned to take care of the female raider something heavy slammed into her wounded side and made Sarah see stars. Both women rolled, the raider letting out an animal like shriek as Sarah grabbed a handful of hair and yanked hard. _Fuck fighting fair. _The Lone Wanderer fumbled with the knife sheathed on her belt, unstrapped it, and swiped viciously at her attacker's throat. Blood sprayed out, coated her hair and face with bright crimson, and the raider immediately went limp. Sarah pushed the dead body off of her and stood unsteadily to face whoever was next.

A woman wearing a pink pre-war dress stepped out from behind one of the metal shacks with a sword in her hand and dirty tear streaks running from her eyes.

"You killed her," she said. "You killed Crimson." Sarah pretended to take a moment to seriously consider the slave's words.

"You must mean the bitch whose blood I'm wearing." Sarah wiped at the liquid still splashed across her face and showed the other woman with a cocky smile. "Crimson you said? Kind of ironic, huh?"

"She was my kill! Mine! I'll kill you for that!" The Lone Wanderer laughed hard at that.

"Do you actually believe that you stand a chance? Ever heard the saying, 'Don't bring a knife to a gun fight' bitch?"

"Shut up! I'll carve out your insides and give them to Eulogy as a gift!" she screamed and charged. The fight was short, over in seconds, and hardly memorable. The woman in pink made an admirable effort but was no match against an assault rifle. Sarah walked away from the bloody mess unscathed and slightly used sword swinging at her hips. As there seemed to be no immediate threats she took a moment to use a few Stimpaks on her more serious wounds and re-check her ammunition supplies. _Only a few more bullets left... Guess I better ditch the gun now and grab it later. _Sarah tossed the useless Chinese rifle near a lamp post and searched a dead raider's body for another gun.

She scavenged a relatively nice handgun and couple clips of ammo before approaching a building named 'Eulogy's Pad'. Sarah scoffed at the name and shoved open the double doors like she owned the place.

~*~

"Where is it?!"

"Why the fuck is it so important to you? You're fucking insane!"

"You should know it's not exactly smart to call your enslaver crazy, Eulogy." Sarah sneered and jabbed the blade at Eulogy's throat harder into his skin. "Now, I'll ask you once more: Where is IT?!" They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity; Eulogy's hands tied behind his back, lying on the heart shaped bed in his quarters, with Sarah straddling him. The sexual situation wasn't lost on either of them, but only Eulogy seemed dumb enough to comment on it.

"I've had a lot of women on this bed-"

"Shut up before I rip off your penis and shove it up your own ass. Now, tell me what I want to know."

"Fine, crazy whore. It's next to my terminal in the corner. Over there." He motioned with his eyes to a spot behind her. Sarah smirked and climbed off the man to inspect a metal desk that was shoved against the far wall. True to his word what she had traveled across the Wasteland sat in perfect condition beside the terminal. She snatched it and quickly entered the precious item into her Pip-Boy for safe keeping. "Thanks, Eulogy; it's been a real pleasure."

"I would've just given it to you if you'd fucking asked. Not like it holds much sentimental value or anything." Eulogy sat up and looked at her with appreciation. "I'm real impressed that you managed to take on my entire operation single handedly." He admitted with some surprise. "More impressed than pissed off anyway. Did you have to kill everyone? Do you know how hard it was to gather those dirt bags? Now I have to start again from scratch..." Eulogy muttered. "Ever think about joining the slave trading business? I can already tell you that you'd get the top spot."

"Hate to break it to you, but I'm a bit occupied right now. Don't worry though, you won't have to worry about starting up a new gang any time soon."

A shiver ran down the dark man's spine. "What do you mean by that?" he asked with as much nonchalance he could muster. Sarah faced him with a wicked look in her eyes and approached him slowly, the sword in her hand dragging ominously behind her. "You know, I have some connections with Tenpenny Tower... I can- No, please!" _Too late. _Sarah sliced his head clean off, turned her back to him, and left Eulogy's Pad with a smile.

~*~

Sarah dragged her feet through the gates of Megaton, glaring darkly at anyone who stepped in her way. _All I want to do is go home and sleep for a week. _The trip from Paradise Falls had been hell thanks to the still healing wound on her side and heat. _Home sweet home,_ she thought and sighed.

"Haven't seen you around lately."

"I'm not in the mood to have a pissing match with you right now." But Sarah stopped and folded her arms, she knew better than to mess with the town's beloved Sheriff. The large black man just grinned at her and mirrored her stance.

"Just making an observation."

"Keep your observations to yourself."

"I like you girly, but that doesn't mean I won't shoot you if you cause any trouble. You know that right?"

"Just like I know it would take a lot more heat than your packing to take me down? Yeah."

"Always expect the unexpected, girly. I could tell a few stories that would make even your stone, cold heart shake."

"Oh? Meet me at Moriarty's at dusk; you're not the only one who can tell a story." And after the week she suffered through, Sarah could slam back a couple drinks.

"Honey, if you're buying I'd meet you at the moon." She nodded and moved passed the sheriff towards her home. This time Wadsworth was around to see her limp inside.

"Good evening, Madam! It's good to see you alive and well!" He greeted. "Well, it's good to see you anyway." He amended as he took in her cuts and bruises. "May I suggest that you seek medical attention as soon as possible?" For once Sarah couldn't find the strength to argue.

"Later," was all she said before heading upstairs. Instead of going to her bedroom, though, she veered off towards a small display tucked safely out of Wadsworth's reach. Sarah took a moment to admire her steadily growing collection of treasure before programming her Pip-Boy to spit out the item she had killed so many for. She turned the item around, examined every centimeter of it, and then placed it gently with the others. Thirteen figures stared at her with black, lifeless eyes and posed with an object in their hands. Sarah smiled proudly at the newest addition: the Speech Bobble head. "'Let words be your weapon,'" she read. "Fuck that." _Still... _

The Lone Wanderer glanced at the bobble head that started it all; the one she had swiped from her father's desk the day she escaped from Vault 101. The loneliness she had battled with since then crept up on her and threatened to choke her with tears she refused to shed. _Why, dad? Why did you leave me all alone? _She pushed the palms of her hands roughly against her moist eyes. _No, I don't need you. Not anymore... _Sarah let out one last shaky breath and headed for her bedroom, intent on catching a bit of sleep before her rendezvous with Simms. 

Author's Note: Okay, I tried to make Sarah evil, but I think I failed on almost every level. I'm such a wuss. . I like writing good guys more than bad, but I gave it a good shot anyway. I also included a fair amount of Bittercup's dialogue from the game because I thought it might be pretty fun. ^-^; I hope you enjoyed and if not then let me know what I can fix. I welcome constructive criticism.


End file.
